The Rose & The Cloud
by hatake's guardian angel
Summary: Shikamaru, Temari, & Naruto are sent on a mission to the Land of Wind....what will befall the trio as they battle rogue shinobi & romance between the Rose & the Cloud? mild language
1. Chapter 1

A white rabbit danced across the sky with a dog right behind, plowing through the serene blue. Shikamaru smiled peacefully. Watching clouds drift by was one of his favorite pastimes. _I wish I were a cloud, _he thought. _Far away from my troubles, I'd have not a care in the world. I want to live my life like that cloud… taking it one day at a time._

A shadow loomed across Shikamaru's field of vision, blocking the clouds' dance.

"Hey, Shikamaru," said the shadow. "What's up?"

Of course, the shadow was Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru's best friend.

"Nothing of importance."

Shikamaru sat up with a sigh. "Did you hear about Hokage-sama? Apparently, she's really annoyed because of the vast number of missions coming in. all of the Jonin are gone on missions already and can't be spared."

"Hmmm…I wonder which Genin she'll choose," Choji pondered. "Neji's team and Naruto's team are off on missions."

Shikamaru nodded in reply, watching the clouds once again. Choji fished a bag of potato chips from his pocket and sat down next to Shikamaru under the shady tree.

"Oy!! What're you two up to?!" shouted a voice.

"Iruka-sensei!" Shikamaru and Choji jumped up, Choji hastily crunching the last of his chips.

"I've been looking for you all over the place, Shikamaru! Naruto and his team just arrived, and Tsunade-sama has summoned you. You'd better hurry up and leave at once before she gets really ticked!"

"Yes, sensei!" Shikamaru shouted as he leapt up and flew through the forest. He would have to hurry in order to calm Hokage-sama's temper.

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	2. Chapter 2

"Oy, Shikamaru! What's new?" Naruto grinned hugely at the sight of the lazy genius. "I just got back from my mission with Sakura-chan and Sasuke-kun, and Old Lady Tsunade's got me on the road again."

Shikamaru sighed. With Naruto on his team, possibilities for embarrassment were endless and extremely likely. All too well he remembered last year's Chunin Exams, when Naruto had tried encouraging him and somehow managed to push him off the balcony. _How troublesome, _he thought.

"Hey old lady, where's our third member?" Naruto inquired.

"I summoned her just a few minutes ago, so she'll be here shortly," answered Tsunade-sama. "Please try to get along or the mission will fail."

Naruto grinned and saluted. "Sure thing, lady! We'll succeed against all odds and-"

He was interrupted by the entrance of Sabaku no Temari, a bundle of attitude and self-confidence. Her trusty fan was slung over her back and secured by a leather shoulder strap. She had blonde hair in four ponytails, and her emerald-green eyes swept the faces of those inside the Hokage's office.

"Hey," she said casually. "Sorry for my late arrival."

"No problem, none at all," replied Tsunade. "I'm glad you and your brothers arrived safely. Thanks for answering so quickly."

"Yeah." Temari closed the door with her foot and joined Shikamaru and Naruto in front of the Hokage's desk.

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"Uzumaki Naruto. Nara Shikamaru. Sabaku no Temari." Tsunade-sama's face was solemn. "Konoha is in a perilous situation at the moment, with our short supply of Jonin and Chunin. Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten are unavailable, seeing as how they're on a mission in the Lightning Country. Therefore, there is little room for error. I trust you will do your best to succeed."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," answered Shikamaru.

"Old lady Tsunade!!" shouted Naruto. "When are you going to tell us the mission?!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Tsunade yelled.

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

Tsunade sighed and settled down into her seat. "Now then," she said. "Your mission is this: a reconnaissance mission in Suna. Be careful. With the Kazekage dead, many shinobi are competing for his vacant position. Times are troubled and the people of Suna are fighting one another relentlessly."

"Who are the main competitors?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Well," Tsunade sighed, "I'm not really sure, but there have been rumors of a man with some sort of special sword…long, with a curved notch cut near the end. Also, some of the citizens of Suna murmur of a shinobi particularly adept at genjutsu. Other than that, I haven't heard anything of interest, although I've put a few ANBU on it, just in case.

_Well, in that case, I guess there's no choice but to check out the suspects, _Shikamaru thought. _How troublesome. _Rubbing his left shoulder, he glanced at Naruto and Temari to gauge their reactions. Naruto's face was full of excitement and optimism for the mission ahead. However, the blonde girl from Suna looked torn with indecision for some reason. Her emerald eyes were troubled, like a rolling sea before the storm. _I wonder what's on her mind, _Shikamaru wondered. _Even though girls are troublesome, she looks unhappy._

"You are dismissed," Tsunade declared, interrupting Shikamaru's train of thought.

With that, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Temari trooped out of 5th Hokage-sama's office and out into the sunny village of Konoha.

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	3. Chapter 3

Everything looked peaceful and bright under the cloud-scattered sky. Young shinobi darted around corners, chasing one another for that last bite of sweet dumpling. Laughter drifted from the Ninja Academy playground, and birds twittered high in the branches of a nearby tree.

_Everything's so comfortable and normal here. It's hard to imagine the people of Suna leading a completely different life, _Shikamaru thought sadly.

"Shikamaru-san."

Shikamaru looked up from his reverie and found Temari walking next to him.

"Yes?"

"As you know, I'm from Suna myself. I am the Kazekage's eldest child, and that sheltered me for a while from the horrors of the world. I knew nothing of the growing unrest among the people of my country. Now that Father is dead, no one trusts anyone. Before I came to your village, rage, fear, and distrust were spreading through Suna like a wildfire. I don't know what the reception will be like when they see me with Konoha ninja like you and the other boy."

Shikamaru frowned, rubbing his left shoulder thoughtfully. "Well, I can't say I know any more than you do…but we'll just have to take it as it comes, no matter how troublesome."

Temari looked intently at his face a moment longer, then focused on the village gates. _I don't want to go back. Nothing good is going to come of this mission._

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The road to Suna curved and twisted like a ribbon through the Land of Fire. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Temari walked along it all day and set up camp at night, sleeping under the stars and waking at the light of dawn. After a long while of battling bloodthirsty mosquitoes, seeking shelter from rainstorms, and narrowly avoiding a landslide, the trio were very glad to climb a sandy hill and see Suna, the Land of Wind, on the other side.

Sunagakure lay in a shallow sandy basin, the tops of buildings and houses peeking over the rim. The sun was beginning to set over the city and the surrounding desert, washing everything in a red-orange glow.

"Wow.." said Naruto.

"What a drag," mumbled Shikamaru.

"Oh great," breathed Temari.

"We'll set up camp here and go check out the city in the morning," Shikamaru said.

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	4. Chapter 4

Morning found the trio walking the streets of Sunagakure. It was early, so not many people were up and about. The few who were looked frightened, walking quickly to their next destination and glancing back over their shoulders every few yards.

"Man, what's with all the long faces?" Naruto whispered.

"I guess the whole anarchy thing really takes it out of a person," Shikamaru replied.

They kept walking into the heart of the city. The sun rose higher in the sky, and Sunagakure seemed to awaken.

"Man I'm hungry!!" Naruto complained loudly.

"You ate almost all the food this morning!" Shikamaru protested. "How can you possibly be hungry?!"

"Long journeys make my stomach grumble," Naruto replied matter-of-factly.

"We don't have ramen shops here, but maybe we can find a street vendor," Temari said. "Let's go."

Unfortunately, it seemed as though all the vendors were M.I.A., for there were none to be found.

"That's strange…" Temari murmured. "Even in troubled times, they were out selling food…but now none are around."

"Oy!" Naruto yelled. "I just found some sweet cake in my pocket!"

"Ugh, Naruto-san, keep it down to a dull roar, will you please?" Temari said, annoyed.

"Sorry."

"Well, I guess there's no delaying it any longer. We have to find a good lookout camp before sunset," said Shikamaru, rubbing his left shoulder.

"Hands-on work will be required tomorrow if we want to be able to blend with the people."

Naruto and Temari nodded in agreement.

"Naruto-san, would you go find a good lookout place, one with cover from prying eyes?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto grinned and saluted. "Sure thing, Shikamaru-san!" And then he ran off down the street and out of sight.

"He sure is energetic," Temari commented. "Reminds me off Kankuro a bit…"

"Yeah, that's Naruto all right," said Shikamaru. The two walked around the outskirts of Sunagakure for a bit, absorbing the sights, smells, and sounds.

"Did you miss it here?" Shikamaru asked suddenly, breaking the silence. "When you were in Konoha?"

Temari sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Yes…and no. Suna has been my home all my life, so naturally I missed it as such. But ever since the Kazekage, my father, was killed, things have changed. Suna isn't the same anymore. And suddenly, I was everything in a different light. I was that Suna wasn't built as solidly as Konoha, on a governmental and moral scale. No one really cared for the whole of Suna as you and your people do. In a way, I feel in between…caught between my homeland and a nation I feel more at home in."

"That's a tough position to be in," said Shikamaru. "One day, whether you like it or not, you'll have to choose between your birth nation and your home nation…Suna and Konoha."

"I know."

They walked side-by-side in thoughtful silence, and soon found themselves by Sunagakure's main gates.

"Looks like we got a bit off course," Shikamaru commented, rubbing his left shoulder as he looked around.

"I hope Naruto-san can find us," Temari pondered.


End file.
